Controlling means for sliding doors.



H. G. VOIGHT.

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR SLIDING DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1912.

Patented Jan 13, 1914.

lllI'I 2a Ellllll 50 WIT/Y S858 COLUMBIA PLANQGRM H 50., WASHINGTON, n. c.

FFICFA.

HENRY G. VOIGHT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR SLIDING DOORS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, llnrny Gr. VOIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Means for Sliding Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to controlling means for sliding doors of the type provided with a movable arm which is operatively connected with a relatively stationary abutment and moves with the opening and closing of the door, an operating member being provided on the door which moves relative to the movable arm, and is adapted to move said arm to open the door.

The object of the present invention is to provide such a structure with means for positively holding the door against closing movement. Such a means is particularly desirable in the case of the sliding doors of elevator wells, the door casing of which is constructed to swing so as to afford a large entrance opening to the elevator car by means of which freight and other large objects may be moved on to or off from the elevator car. In such case the sliding door section is moved to open position and the hinged casing of the door swung open. It will also be obvious that such device is very useful when it is desired to merely hold the sliding door section opened.

The specific construction of my device is described in detail in the following specification taken in connection with the acc0mpa ying drawings forming part thereof and illustrating a preferable embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a sliding door equipped with. the door con trolling means of my invention, the View being taken from the interior or car side of an elevator well for the purposes of illustration. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the forward edge of the sliding door and the controlling parts attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. t is a fragmentary view in elevation of one of the door controlling levers provided with a modified form of locking device. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55 Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the part of the door controlling lever to which said modified form of locking device Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 4, 1912.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

Serial No. 729,330.

is applied. Fig. 7 is an end view of a detail of said modified locking device.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a sliding door and 2 the casing thereof, forming a relatively stationary al. utment. 3 designates a bracket fixedly secured to the r ar edge of said casing.

l designates a movable arm or lever pivotally connected at its forward end to a door plate 5) fixedly secured to the forward edge of the sliding door, a second lever member 5 being pivotally connected at its forward end to the rear end of the lever arm 4 and in turn being pivotally connected at its rear end to the bracket 3. This second lever 5 is provided with a transverse arm 6 journaled in which is a piston rod 7 of a power cylinder 8 pivotally mounted at its rear end on the bracket The power in said cylinder 8 normally acts against the piston to pull the arm (3 downwardly to straighten out the lever members f and 5 into horizontal aline ment, moving said lever members at the same time to move the sliding door 1 to closed position. These lever members form therefore, a toggle which when the door is closed is adapted to be straightened out in horizontal alinement so that its pivotal points are all in alinement and afford a dead-center lock against accidental door opening movement. In order to break this toggle or dead-center lock and move the door to open position, I utilize the following means. Pivotally mounted at 10 on the upper end of the door plate 9 is an operating handle member 11. An actuating arm 18 is pivotally mounted on said door plate 3) at a point, as 12, below the pivot point 10, said arm being provided with a curved slot 14: therein through which a roller stud 15 carried by and between the spaced bars 1 forming the lever arm 4:, extends. The operating handle member 11 has projecting from its rear face a stud 16 which, when said handle is moved toward the right, in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, engages the rear edge of said actuating arm 13 and moves said arm on its pivot, said curved slot 14.- acting as a cam and riding over the roller stud 15, raising its lever arm 4 and breaking the toggle lock. By the time the lever arm 4 has been moved to break the toggle lock by moving the levers thereof upwardly, the lower part of the operating handle member 11 contacts with an abutment stud 17 carried by the door plate 9,

so that further and continued pull on said operating handle in the same direction serves to move the door to open position, the lever arms and swinging upwardly and rearwardly to position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The operation of opening the door manually is accomplished against the power of the closer cylinder 8 but with a minimum expenditure of energy owing to the leverage secured through the lever arms and their connection to the power cylinder.

The parts are so figured that when the lever arms reach door opened position, the upper slotted end of the actuating arm 13 will lie between spaced bars l of the lever arm at, in line with an aperture 21 formed in the inner bar 1 of the lever arm 4t. It will be obvious thatif the forward end of the actuating arm 13 can be held in this position, the lever arms 4 and 5 cannot be moved to move the door to closed position. To efiect such a result, I provide an arm 18 suitably pivoted on the inner bar 1 and formed of flat spring material, this arm being provided at its end with a finger piece- 19 and with a plunger 20 forming an abut ment, these parts being positioned to bring them in line wit-h the aperture 21, so that when the door reaches open position, the spring arm may be moved to bring its plunger abutment 20 in line with the aperture 21 whereupon the spring of the arm will snap said plunger through said aperture and into engagement with the upper slotted end of the actuating arm 13, temporarily locking said arm and lever arms 4 and 5 against the door closing movement. To release the actuating arm 13 and permit the door to close, it is only necessary to grasp the finger piece 19 and pull the plunger 20 inwardly and out of engagement with the end of arm 13, whereupon the power in cylinder 8 will move the lever arms 1- and 5 in a direction to move the door to closed position. When not in use the locking device has its locking abutment end resting over the upper edge of the lever arm 1, the spring of the arm 18 serving to hold it in such position.

In Figs. 4 to 7 I have illustrated a modified form of locking device which is constructed as follows. The inner bar P of the lever arm 42, is provided with an aperture 22 in position similar to aperture 21 but provided at diametrically opposite points with extension slots 23. On the inher side of the bar P is mounted a housing 24 secured to said bar by rivets 25 or other suitable means. Extending through said casing is a plunger rod 26 having a finger piece'27' at its end and exteriorly of the casing 24, At its inner end this rod 26 is provided with a plunger 28 forming an abutmentand having" at diametrically opposite points wings, 29. and being normally pressed outwardly by a coiled spring 30 contained within the housing 2a and bearing against said housing and the inner face of the plunger abutment 28. The wings 29 of this plunger abutment are adapted to fit through the extension slots 23 in the bar 4t, and when the plunger is so positioned, its spring 30 will force it inwardly to bring it against the upper end of the actuating arm 13 in the manner previously described in connection with the first form of lock ing device. In order to retract the plunger abutment from looking engagement with the arm 13, it is only necessary to pull the finger piece 27 inwardly to retract the abutment end 28 from such engagement and then give the plunger rod 26 a slight turn so that the wings 29 are out of alinement with the extension slots 23 in the bar 48. These wings therefore will be held against the inner face of the bar 4* and will prevent the projection of the abutment 28 through the aperture 22. When the rod 26 is turned to bring these wings in line with the extension slots the locking operation will take place as aforesaid.

While I have described and illustrated herein specific form of door controlling means, this specific form does not constitute part of the present invention which consists in the combination of a controller of this general type wherein the same general conditions exist, with the locking device herein described and illustrated.

While I have described specific embodiments of such device, it is obvious that they are subject to various structural modifications within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim therefore and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described, a sliding door, a relatively stationary abutment, a movable arm carried by said door and operatively connected to said abutment to move with the opening and closing of the door, a movable operating member carried by said door operatively connected to said arm, means operated by the movement of said operating member to move said arm to open said door, said operating member moving relative to said arm upon door opening movement thereof, and means operative upon the opening of the door to detachably lock said operating member against movement.

2. In adevice of the character described, a sliding door, a relatively stationary abutment, a movable arm carried by said door and operatively connected to said abutment to move with the opening and closing of the door, a movable operating member carried by said door operatively connected to said arm, means operated by the movement of said operating member to .move said arm 3 to open said door, said operating member moving relative to said arm upon door opening movement thereof, and means carried by said arm operative upon the opening of the door to engage and detachably lock said operating member against movement.

3. In a device of the character described, a sliding door, a relatively stationary abutment, a movable arm carried by said door and operatively connected to said abutment to move with the opening and closing of the door, a movable operating member carried by said door operatively connected to said arm, means operated by the movement of said ope "ating member to move said arm to open said door, said operating member moving relative to said arm upon door opening movement thereof, and a movable locking means carried by said arm having an abutment adapted to be positioned to engage said operating member upon the opening of the door to lock said member against movement.

4. In a device of the character described, a sliding door, a relatively stationary abutment, a movable lever carried by said door operatively connected to said abutment and moving with the opening and closingof the door, a manually controlled operating member carried by the door and operatively connected to said lever, means operated by the movement of said operating member to move said lever to open said door, said operating member moving relative to said lever upon door opening movement thereof, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said lever to move the latter in a direction to move said door to closed position, and locking means carried by said lever operative upon the opening of the door to engage and detachably lock said operating member against movement.

5. In a device of the character described, a sliding door, a relatively stationary abutment, a lever connected to said door and operatively connected to said abutment to move with the opening and closing of the door, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said lever to move the latter in a direction to move said door to closed position, a locking member connected to said lever, an operating arm carried by and movable relative to said door and operatively connected to said lever to move the same to open said door when said arm is operated, said arm moving relative to said lever upon door opening movement and being positioned by such movement to cooperate With said locking member when said door is opened, whereby said locking member may be operated to engage and hold said operating arm against movement relative to said lever and door.

6. In a device of the character described, a sliding door, a relatively stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and said abutment, moving with the opening and closing of said door, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said toggle to move the latter in a direction to move said door to closed position, a locking member connected to said toggle, a manually controlled arm carried by said door and provided with a cam member cooperating with said toggle and adapted to move said toggle to move said door to open position, said manually controlled arm moving relative to said toggle upon door opening movement thereof and being positioned by such movement to cooperate with said toggle-carried locking member whereby said member may engage and detachably lock said arm against movement relative to said door and toggle, thereby locking said door in open position.

7. In a device of the character described, a sliding door, a relatively stationary abutment, an arm carried by said door and in operative connection with said abutment to swing with the opening and closing of the door, an operating handle carried by said door and movable relative to said arm, means operable by movement of said handle to move said arm to open said door, and manually operable means arranged to lock said handle against movement when the door is opened.

HENRY Gr. VOIGI-IT.

Witnesses GWENDOLINE A. JACKSON, EDWARD B. ALLING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

